Education is a priority

If the improvement of

does not become a state issue and a priority for its rulers, it is not for lack of a precise diagnosis of

.

The latest report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) yesterday once again highlighted the notable deficit that our system drags: Spain leads the ranking of the entire EU-22 in percentage of young people with the minimum qualification, that is, who do not have a high school diploma or

its equivalent in Vocational Training (intermediate level).

They are 28% of Spaniards between 25 and 34 years old, and only Turkey and Mexico, among the thirty developed countries of the OECD, present worse rates.

It is true that the balance is more positive than a decade ago -it reached 35% in 2011-, but this improvement is insufficient.

The panorama is very worrying and basically there are two notable gaps: the inter-territorial one, since the less wealthy communities are the most affected - Extremadura or Murcia, compared to the Basque Country or Navarra -, and the gender gap, since - and this This is also the case in the rest of Europe.

.

The consequence is evident: unskilled young people have a worse career path, if it exists.

Their future swings between precarious jobs and unemployment.

In fact, the Panorama of Education 2022 report indicates that 20% of young Spaniards do not study or work.

Poor health and inequalities in Spanish education are a chronic problem.

The question that should be asked is why so many young people drop out of school after completing the compulsory stage.

And what can be done about it.

The basic answer is simple: education and

they must constitute an unavoidable priority for the big political parties, whether they are in the opposition or in government.

Short-term measures, such as achieving the Baccalaureate degree with a fail, as regulated by the Celaá law, can artificially improve the statistics but not the real preparation of our young people.

One of the most important areas of action must be Vocational Training.

The Government's steps in this area are correct, but much remains to be done.

Reality shows that, in the face of the rush to achieve a university degree, there are solid job opportunities for those who complete FP.

For this reason, it is essential to give these studies social prestige and extend the so-called dual VT which, in collusion with companies,

.

The implementation of individualized support tutorials that guide young people has also been revealed as a positive experience.

Education must stop being a weapon of ideological warfare to become once and for all the space most cared for by the right and the left.

The existence of a youth without a future and almost without a present cannot be accepted with resignation.

They are the Spain that we are building:

, but also promote public policies that reward study and guide them towards professional success.

A country cannot progress by turning its back on its young people.

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